Enzeru Zenki
by WytRavyn
Summary: An imortal girl from the clouds meets a mortal boy. They travel and soon fall in love. Unfortunately, the girl has rules to follow, and falling in love with a boy that is mortal is forbidden. To find out the ending, you gotta read. not based on anything.
1. The Mortal

Enzeru Zenki

Angel Above

A girl sat on a balcony, staring up at the stars, her eyes blank and distant. Her hair whipped her face, and the moonlight made her skin look even paler than it really was. A tear trickled down her face, rolling across her cheek and landing on her white satin dress. She whispered a prayer, and ran back inside the castle doors.

"Reina, please, you must practice!

Reina grumbled and reluctantly took the harp out of her advisor's hands.

"That's it. You want to impress your parents don't you?"

Reina started to play, grimacing under her gaze. Reina, age 15, was the lordships daughter, arranged to be married with another lordship's son. Unfortunately for her, he was quite the drag.

"I may want my mother and father's praise, but I'd rather eat dirt than impress that windbag of a prince."

Nanako, her advisor, sighed and shook her head. Reina moved her fingers gracefully over the harp, playing her notes perfectly.

"I can play the harp fine, let me go."

She stood up, testing Nanako to deny her. She hesitated, and finally released her. Reina smirked and headed to her dinner hall to meet her mother. Her mother spotted her, and the smile on her face faded.

"You're not wearing the gown I told you to put on…"

Reina scoffed, "It's not that big of a tragedy if I'm not wearing that disgusting piece of fabric."

Majesty Chinatsu rolled her eyes.

"If you want to dress like that, go onto the balcony. I don't want my lovely daughter wearing…those rags, at the table."

Reina clenched her teeth and stomped off to her room. She scowled at the world below her. The clouds encircled her home, making the ground beyond misty and white.

If only I could live as they do…

Reina glanced around, and, hoisting herself on to the balcony ledge, popped her wings out and flew down past the clouds. She caught a glimpse of the world below, and sunk her wings back in. Landing on the ground, she headed to the woods, in search of something constructive to do. She found fruit at the top of a tall tree, and climbed up its trunk. She ate gleefully; glad to be out of the castle's grasp. Tossing the remains of her snack away, decided it was high time she head back. Unfortunately, she was a little too late. Her advisor glided down, a scowl of anger on her face.

"What do you think your doing? You better be happy your mother doesn't know your whereabouts!"

She clasped Reina's hand and directed her back to the safety of her room. With a heavy heart, Reina slumped onto her bed.

"Your mentor wants you. He thinks you're ready for a "search of power"…"

Reina cocked her head. She nodded and headed down to the sparring dome, where Daiki was waiting.

"You have almost completed your training. It's time you went for the search for greatness. You'll have to go down to the human world and look for the object that will give you a…"reward", for lack of better terms. I've hidden it somewhere down there."

Reina smiled widely. Another chance with the mortals!

"But remember the rules of going down there…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. No fighting, no ears and tail, and no falling in love with mortals."

Daiki nodded and shooed her off on her way. Reina skipped again to her balcony and drifted to the ground.

"Time to find that reward..."

She headed through the forest again. Her pendant glowed bright, and she held it up.

It must be a guide...

She swung it in all directions, and noticed it faded and brightened with the direction she turned it to. She walked for a long time, her feet becoming tired and sore. Just as she was about to give up, her pendant quivered and the light shone brighter. It pulled her the base of a tree, and stopped glowing. She cautiously unsheathed her claws and dug. After a while of digging, she found a sapphire jewel within the tree roots. She grinned.

I know exactly where to put it

She took the collar of her dress and revealed a dent in her chest. She placed the sapphire inside the dent, and stood up. Suddenly, she started to glow gold, her hair swishing in the air. She hovered over the ground slightly, and then everything stopped. Her staff flew out of her hands and spun, fast and hard, creating a force field around it. Soon it stopped, and Reina gasped in amazement. It now was gold, with a round, blue crystal on top, surrounded with smaller, lighter jewels. Reina smiled happily, spread her wings, and took off. What she didn't know was she had been watched.

Arriving at home, her mother gave her a warm hug. She rolled the staff in her hands and admired it with joyous eyes.

"You look more mature now."

Reina raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I thought I was already mature…"

Chinatsu laughed, "Of course, what I meant was you look different. Your hair…and I think you've grown…"

Reina cocked her head in puzzlement and ran to her room. She looked in her vanity mirror and was surprised to see that she was different. Her hair was now black with red streaks, and her eyes of a more distinct color of amber. She was taller, about a foot more, and her skin had a tan to it. She ran down to Daiki, and bombarded him with questions.

"Yes, all this is supposed to happen. It's the new you. Did you try your new skills yet?"

Reina slowly shook her head. "Skills?"

Daiki laughed, "Guess not. You can use magic through your hands. And you're probably a better fighter now. Try putting two fingers to your mouth and blowing."

Reina raised her fingers in doubt. She started to blow furiously.

"No, no, blow more slowly….not too slow, moderate, I should say."

Reina blew again. She closed her eyes, and soon she saw flames shoot out from behind her fingers. Daiki smirked in impressment.

"Wonderful. Now, try to shoot with elements from the palms of your hands. "

Reina looked at your hands, and took a deep breath. Suddenly, a whole bunch of different elements glowed in her hands.

"How do I control which element I want?"

"You'll get the hang of it. It comes naturally. You gotta practice." Daiki smiled, nodded to her and left her in the dome. She stared at her hands for a while, wondering how she was going to figure out how to control her powers. She started to fling her hands around, watching different elements appear from her hands. She noticed that with every direction she waved, the elements changed, and became either stronger or weaker. She soon learned how to overcome her magic, and ran to tell Daiki. But she couldn't find him, and decided to go back to the mortals.

Back in her favorite place among the trees, she began to use her powers in the shelter of the woods. She burned trees, and brought life to other plants. Suddenly, she heard a twig break and froze. A bush rustled and she followed the sound of footsteps. She caught a glimpse of a boy running into the trees. She flew up and went ahead.

"Please, stop. I come in complete peace."

The boy looked taken aback, and signaled to Reina that he was headed the other way.

"Please, tell me your name. I am Reina, daughter of…"

Reina stopped in her tracks. I forgot, I can't tell him I'm from the clouds…

"Daughter of…uh, Mina, yeah, I'm a foreign-exchange student. I'm just uh, getting to know this place…"

The boy raised an eyebrow, and relaxed.

"I'm Kyoko…do you know what school you're attending?"

Reina shook her head.

"I have an idea, but I'm not quite sure."

Kyoko nodded, "I can take you to my school, see if it's the one…"

Reina smiled and followed Kyoko to his school; Kyouka Suku-Ringu.

"Here we are. Classes start in 5 minutes, so we'd better hurry. I'll show you our classroom."

Reina again followed Kyoko to a small room, with not many students sitting in the seats. There were a few seats empty, and Kyoko sat himself down in one of them. He told her to wait for the teacher outside the classroom. Soon, the teacher appeared and stared down on Reina.

"I had no recollection that we were getting another student…well, I'll sit you down and you can make yourself comfortable here."

She walked Reina into the class, and made her stand beside her desk.

"This is Reina. She is a…foreign-exchange student. She'll be attending here for a while. She speaks good English, so I assume we won't have any trouble understanding her. You may sit by Kyoko, the boy over there on the far side."

Reina nodded, and walked slowly over to the desk. She smiled at Kyoko, and took out her books. As the teacher rambled on, Kyoko turned to her.

"So, how many schools have you been through?"

Reina shrugged, "I don't know, like 2? I don't really remember. But I have good English, so I think this is my last stop."

Kyoko nodded and turned back his attention to the front of the class. The teacher was writing on the board, and Kyoko started copying it down in a notebook he had in his lap. Reina did the same, but she didn't write it. She memorized it, and converted it onto her page with her mind. She decided she wasn't going to do all that writing, when she wasn't really going to need it. Soon the bell rang for the ending of the period. Kyoko explained that they had two separate splits, and then 3 periods in each. Since she had come later in the day, they had only one last period to finish. Reina was quite glad that she had missed some, and went with Kyoko back to the woods for their break. They sat on a log, and chatted for a bit.

"How much did you see?"

Kyoto put his hands on the log. "Of what?"

"Of me. You know, when you were watcing me."

Kyoto shrugged, "Most of it I guess. When you were digging. That's when I first saw you. And then you came back, and then you were burning stuff…how'd you do it anyway? I mean, I can't even do that…"

Reina cocked her head and narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean by that? Aren't you mortal too?"

Kyoto froze. "Yeah I'm mortal, but I can do things others can't…and you are the same…why, you're not mortal?"

Reina sighed. "As long as you don't tell anyone, no, I'm not mortal. I'm an angel warrior. I'm actually from the clouds, I'm not a foreign-exchange student. What can you do?"

Kyoto took a deep breath, "I'm a bit of a demon…but almost no one knows of it…it's weird, I'm telling a complete stranger, when I won't even tell my best friend about it…"

Reina cocked her head. "Well, don't worry about it. I'm a demon too, but no one's SUPPOSED to know about it. But since you're the same, then I won't be abided by the rules."

She gave him a smile and they headed back to the school grounds. The bell rang, and they ran inside.

"Ok class, grab a partner! We're gonna do some group work. Once partnered up, grab the sheets on my desk and get started."

Kyoto nodded at Reina and they went up and got the papers. The other class mates stared as they worked together. Another girl glared at her. Reina turned and whispered in Kyoto's ear.

"Why is that girl glaring at me? And why is everyone else staring?"

Kyoto shook his head, "The girl in the pony-tail asked me out a while ago, and I rejected her. And people are staring cause' I'm working with you…they probably think we're together."

Reina cocked her head, shrugged and returned to the sheet. They soon finished and were dismissed. They walked through the woods, following the dirt trail through the trees.

"This is the way to your house? I have to go back in the clouds soon."

Kyoto glanced at her, "You can come hang at my house for a while…if you want, I mean."

Reina raised her eyebrows, and took the offer. They walked some more, and soon Reina spotted a small cottage at the end of the woods. It smelled of cinnamon and maple. Kyoto introduced her to his mother, and went into a room in the cellar. It had a couch, stacks of books, candles and shelves of trinkets.

"You can go ahead and look around, I'm gonna go get us a snack…"

Reina nodded and started ruffling through the shelves. She found CDs, statues, jewelry only a guy would wear, and pictures of" interesting" people, for the lack of better terms. Kyoto came back with a tray of fruit, with juice on the side.

"So, what do you think? Interesting, hey?"

Reina nodded her head slowly, and Kyoto laughed.

"Yeah I know, it is a little weird, but that's how I am…"emo" as others call me…I have a small group of friends…"

Reina smiled, "Then it must be an honor that I'm one of them."

Kyoto smirked. Reina heard her advisor trying to contact her.

"Uh, I'll be right back…I uh, gotta go to the bathroom…"

Kyoto waved a hand, and she ran to it.

"What do you want? I'm having fun!"

A hologram of Nanako showed up in front of her.

"We never said you could stay down there, you get back here this instant!"

Reina crossed her arms.

"I don't think so. I like it down here…unless you want me to give uo my wings, you better not push me."

Nanako scrunched her nose.

"You are the little sneak. Fine, but reamember the rules.."

"Yeah, I got it, now go before they think I'm a sycho!"

Nanako scoffed and the hologram disappeared. She headed back to the cellar room. On the way there, she thought of a very sneaky plan to get away with staying with the mortals.

Back in the cellar, Kyoto and Reina sat down on the couch, and she devised her plan with Kyoto.

"And then we don't have to go to school…just tell your mother we're…going to find something for me…like, a relative, or something. Come on, what do ya' say?"

Kyoto stared at the floor for a long time before answering.

"It would be pretty fun, you know, doing nothing. I guess we could…"

Reina jumped for joy. "Thank you! Now I can have all the fun I want."


	2. A New Dawn

The next morning, they met at the place they first got together and set out on their way. They walked for a while until they finally reached their first stop; a small village on the bank of a long river.

"Let's get a bite to eat, I'm starving."

Reina led the way to a small stand with a chubby sale-man.

"What do you want? Fruit, a desert? Choose, I'm waiting."

Kyoto stared, indecisive.

"I'll just take an apple…and maybe some melonbread…and maybe some ramen…"

Reina laughed, "OK, I'll get a lot…we can eat it on the road."

She paid for the food, and they stuffed it in Kyoto's sack. They started to head out of the village when a little girl came up to them.

"Koneechiwa, little one, are you lost?"

The little girl shook her head and ran off. Before turning the corner, she looked back at them and nodded her head. Reina cocked her head and motioned Kyoto to follow as well. They turned the corner to find not an innocent little girl, but a demon standing in her place. It rose above them, just hidden by the ally walls. It growled and lunged for Reina. She dodged to the side, but slammed herself into the wall. Kyoko took a wooden board and banged it against its leg, but it kicked it away.

"Stall it, I need to generate power…"

Kyoko nodded and proceeded to hit the demon. Reina sat in lotus position, glowing amber. She stood up and, now fully restored, used the magic that she practised. She shot the demon with flames from her palms, and it disintegrated into ashes.

"Nice work. Let's get out of here before we reach any more problems."

They walked out of the village, relieved they had ovecome the demon. Reina turned to Kyoko.

"You do know how to fight don't you?"

Kyoko nodded, "I just need training, I guess. I don't have a weapon, so I stick with the whole ninja thing. Maybe when we travel some more, I can find a sword or something."

Reina shook her head and stopped walking. She took out her staff and it started to glow.

"I will not wait. I don't want to fight on my own."

The staff produced a metallic substance, which Reina controlled by the waving of her staff. It soon clumped together, and Kyoko saw the creation of a sword. Reina dropped her staff and grasped the sword-in-making. She swung it around and soon gave it color. She threw it up in the air, the sun catching in it's blade. It stuck in the ground, and Kyoko gasped at the sight. The sword's blade was an icy blue, the handle black with engravings of wolves. It had an emerald at the base where the blade and the handle connected, and mist encircled it.

"It's amazing! I didn't know you could create these things!"

Reina grinned, pulling the sword from the ground and handing it to him.

"It's powerful, so learn how to weild it. It should be easy for you."

Kyoko nodded and stuck his new sword in a loop on his pants. They continued walking until sundown, when finally Reina suggested they set up camp. They had come to a river bank, where they started to make a fire.

"So, what are we planning on doing this whole time? It's not like we have orders…"

Reina shrugged, "I can always get orders…from my advisor, Nanako. She's the one that tells me what to do and when to do it. I guess we can go around fighting and stuff…"

Kyoko nodded, "And we can go to that big celebration I heard about. I wanted to go this year, but being my mother, she didn't want to travel all that way. You can always tell when it's starting, cause' they put up this big light show."

Reina nodded, "That's a plan. If we don't travel too far from the city when we see the lights, then yeah, we can go. But for now, we better get some sleep. Big day tomorrow...a lot of walking."

Reina laid her head on the soft grass and quickly fell asleep. Kyoko did the same, but for a while, he stayed awake, staring at Reina's face, watching her breath in and out. After a time, he finally fell asleep.

Sorry if this was a shorter chapter, but I couldn't think of anything that could make it flow into the next chappy.


	3. The Enemy

In the morning, Reina woke to find Kyoko in her face. She jerked her head and slowly left to find breakfast, which was conveniently in Kyoko's sack. Unfortunately, it was tucked in his arm, and he was sleeping. Reina sighed and gently opened the sack. She rumaged inside and pulled out the melon bread.

_This should be good enough_

She started another fire, and ripped the bread into two large pieces; one for her and another for when Kyoko woke up. She went to the water's edge, and scooped water for drinking. Coming back, she heard Kyoko mumbling and yawning. He stretched and waved at Reina, who was walking up the side of the bank. He helped himself to his share of lemon bread, munching happily on it.

"Why so close this morning?"

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Reina shook her head, "Oh, never mind. It's nothing."

Kyoko shrugged and continued with his munching. Reina sipped at her water and stared at the sparks and flames coming from the fire.

"Hey, you look a little depressed. Something up?"

Reina shook her head, "Naw, just thinking about stuff. I guess we better get a move on though. We want to make it to another village or city so we can get an inn."

Kyoko nodded and Reina dowsed the fire. They packed up any vital supplies and were off.

There was nothing but blue skies and vast open plains. Reina started to slow down her pace, and Kyoko dragged himself along, trailing behind her.

"How long is this going to go on for?"

Reina shrugged. "I have no idea."

Kyoko sighed and tried to keep up with Reina, feeling tired and ready to give up.

Meanwhile, in a desolate place somewhere, a shadow loomed in a dark cavern.

"Masuyo! Come here!"

A boy of about 16 came and knelt in front of the figure.

"What is it, Shukun Kijo? Is there a problem?"

"Kijo" as the boy called her, grumbled. "Yes, boy, there is. There are two problems, and I want you to get rid of them."

She pointed to a glass ball on the table beside her.

"These two are out there randomly killing off my beasts! That will not do! If the Celebration of the Ishoku is to be destroyed, these two cannot be out there ruining it for me! In 3 fortnights, you will go, join in their allience, and I'll give you the signal to kill them off. Do what you will to win their trust. You are dimissed."

The boy bowed again, and hurriedly ran out of the chamber.

Reina and Kyoko finally reached a small city, bustling with towns people. There was a woman on a bench smoking a pipe, and reading a map.

"We can ask her. She must need help too."

Reina strolled up to the woman.

"Hi, I was wondering if you knew where a nearby inn might be? We're new here and we don't know where anything is…"

The woman scoffed and didn't answer. Reina sighed and shrugged at Kyoko. He rolled his eyes and they passed her.

"I am not going to go round' in circles looking for that damn inn. Find someone who actually will answer you."

Reina nodded and tapped on a man's shoulder.

"Excuse me, sorry to interupt…"

The man spun around and glared at her, "What do you want!?" he growled.

Reina stepped back, "Oh nothing, I thought you were someone else."

She ran from the stand back to Kyoko.

"These people are very unfriendly."

Suddenly, a little boy and his mother walked up to them. They were wearing close to rags, and had a small loaf of bread in their hands.

"Are you lost? We've been observing, and it looked like you needed help. May we help you?"

The boy smiled and offered us a piece of bread.

"No thank you, you must keep the bread. We have enough food…but that was nice of you."

The boy nodded and looked up at them.

"Actually, since you mentioned it, we're trying to look for an inn. Do you know where one is?"

The mother nodded. "Go down the road and turn to your right. There's one right around that corner, you can't miss it."

Reina smiled her thanks and started on her way. When they reached the inn, they found a guard at the enterance, dragging out what looked like a thief. After they had driven down the road, they slipped inside and went to the front desk. A girl was at the front, sorting out a stack of paper.

"Oh hello, sorry, it's been hectic around here. A room?"

Reina gave Kyoko a curious glance.

"Uh, no. Two please…"

The girl nodded. "I just thought you were together. All right, floor 2, rooms 13 and 14."

Reina smiled and went to the elevator. Kyoko stepped in after her, and pressed the numbers. The elevator bell rung and they found their rooms.

"Well it's gonna be dark soon, so why don't you open your door and you can come into my room for a bit."

Reina handed him his key, and he nodded his approval. Reina stepped inside her room and automatically turned on the television. She slumped on the bed and contently watched and waited for Kyoko. After a while, he finally showed up.

"I got some ramen to eat. I thought you'd be hungry."

"Thanks. Indeed I am."

They sat down on the bed eating their ramen and watching the television. But when Reina tried to switch the channel, they found that there was only one, and they turned it off.

"That sucks. What else are we supposed to do?"

Reina shook her head in disapproval.

"Why don't we go down and see if they have a game room? Most inns do…"

Kyoko nodded and followed her into the elevator. She pressed "lobby" and they went back to the front desk.

"Excuse me, is there any chance you have a game room?"

The same girl that they first saw replied, "Oh definitely. It's around that corner."

She pointed down the hall, where they saw a sharp corner, and a bit of window sticking out from the corner.

"OK, thank you."

And they headed to the game room for a little fun.


	4. Day One: Too Friendly

The sun rose high the next morning, shining brightly through Reina's room window. She scratched her eyes and ywaned. Stretching, she rolled out of bed and grabbed the rest of her clothing, heading for the bathroom. Kyoko was already awake, rapping on the door.

"Come on sleepy head! Let me in!"

Reina grumbled and yelled back, " I'm awake, and kinda busy!"

Kyoko stuck out his tounge (a.n at the door :P) and waited, quite impatiently, at the door. Reina finally unlocked the door, and Kyoko sat down on the bed.

"Are we leaving today?" Kyoko asked.

Reina shrugged, "I actually wanted to stay and visit the (very unfriendly) town some more. Get some souveniers, get some more food…"

Kyoko nodded frantically, and Reina laughed at him.

"Hey, I was thinking the same thing! I guess great minds think alike."

Reina shook her head, "I have to disagree, your mind isn't that great."

Reina smirked and headed out the door. Kyoko frowned, hurt and annoyed at the insult. In the lobby they found a chubby old woman working at the front desk.

"Uh, we'll be checking out now…"

The woman grunted, looking them both up and down. First at Reina; her black hair, her skinny build, the staff she carried, and last at the shoes she wore, which were worn with age. Kyoko stood awkwardly as the woman eyed his messy hair (a.n bed head!), his broad face, his baggy clothes, the same skinny build, and the old runners with the ratty laces.

"Huh, your kind shouldn't be able to stay here…or maybe you're the only one's who should be able to stay here."

Reina gritted her teeth. She thought of sending an insult right back at her, but thought other wise.

"Well, that's fine if you think that, but we have a different persepective."

Then, turning on her heal, she briskly walked out, Kyoko running after her.

The city wasn't as bustling as it was the day before, and Reina enjoyed walking around looking at the sights and peeking at the valuable items under glass frames. She checked their pocket money, and found there wasn't much.

"Hey, I'm uh, going to go look at something over there. Stay here, I'll be back."

Kyoko nodded and went on looking. Reina rushed around to a nearby ally and summoned her advisor.

"Are you coming back yet?"

Reina shook her head, "No, not for a long time. I just need money...a lot of it."

Nanako sighed and handed her a brown sack of shickles.

"There you go. Now run off. I have business to attend to."

Reina shrugged and ran back to the stand.

"I didn't find anything...hold this in your bag, would you?"

Kyoko sagged at the weight of the sack. He pushed it in the bag without question.

"Now, I want that necklace..."

After all the walking, they stopped on a bench with a snack of lemon bread. Reina was proudly wearing her new peice of jewelry; a necklace with a red and black cross made of glass, the middle bearing yet another sapphire. Kyoko secretly admired it, staring at the huge stone it held. They munched the lemon bread in silence, the crowd becoming more and more thick. The sound of mad yelling people could be heard over the rumble of footsteps on the cobblestone road.

"Has it ever occured to you that we don't really know where we are?" Reina finally asked. Kyoko shook his head, now thinking of the perplexing question.

"Somewhere in Japan?"

Reina shook her head in dismay, "Yeah, we know that dibstick, but what's the city called?"

A man in a black cloak and a grey beard turned to them.

"You are in the city of Tokinokane. You are new here, I'm assuming?"

Kyoko nodded slowly. The stranger smiled and turned back to the newspaper he had been reading. The two of them stood up and slowly walked away, glad to have the new information, and to get away from the old man.

"Strange man. I hope he doesn't stalk us."

Reina spat, "He better not, or he's not gonna like the outcome."

They reached the edge of the city, again finding a vast plain which they'd have to walk. But it didn't look far to the next stop, for they could already see billowing clouds af dark smoke coming up from a forest of trees. Reina took a deep breath and they started on their way.

"I am dying to meet these two. Hurry up and tell me to go!"

Kijo sat in a chair, tapping her fingers on the table.

"In time, Musuyo, in time. We cannot rush them, now can we? I'll send you out when they reach Kawagoe. There you will make them trust you, follow them to the celebration, and at just the right moment, kill them off!"

Musuyo rolled his eyes, but bowed regardless.

"Yes, Shukun Kijo."

She waved her hand, signaling his dismissal.

To Kyoko's dismay, they weren't even a quarter way to the next stop, and they had been traveling a very long while. Plus, it was getting dark.

"We might as well set up camp. We won't get much farther before sundown."

Reina nodded and sighed in defeat.

"You get the wood, I'll set up food...maybe you should go hunting too, we need meat."

Kyoko rolled his eyes and dragged himself to his duty. Reina gave a short giggle and took out the food from the bag. While putting the food out, Kyoko came back with an armload of kindle.

"I know, I know, I'm going back out to hunt."

Reina gave one short nod, and started to light the fire. Warming herself by the flames, she began to meditate. She glowed on and off, a bright golden color. Kyoko came back again with a bundle of meat. He watched Reina meditate, slowly watch the glowing light brighten and fade. Reina suddenly stopped, and was surprised to see him watching her.

"I didn't hear you come back. Well, let me cook that meat, and then we can eat."

She stood up and began to roll the meat over the fire with left over sticks from the pile that Kyoko had brought back. He sat beside her, warming up by the fire's glow. Reina passed a half burnt peice of meat to Kyoko, and he wrinkled his nose at it. But he ate it regardless.

"Have you ever tried combing that mat of hair on your head?"

Kyoko turned to face Reina. "What do you mean?"

Reina shook her head, "It looks like you've just got out of bed...all the time. Sometimes I wonder if you even own a comb."

He shrugged. "I thought it looked fine the way it was..."

_It looks cute..._

Reina froze and shook her head in disbelief.

_Did I just think that? Or maybe I was imagining..._

"Is there something wrong?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

Reina smiled, "No, there's no problem...do you want another peice of meat?"

Kyoko nodded. Reina took another peice off the stick and handed it to him.

"This time it isn't burnt."

He gulped it down in one swallow. Licking his lips he lay his head on his arms and stared at the sky. Reina watch his eyes grow droopy, and finally close completely. Reina stared at the fire for a moment longer, and lay her head beside Kyoko's. She drifted to sleep, with a smile on her face.

In the middle of the night, Kijo sent Musuyo out to the next town to wait for the pair to arrive... (a.n. this can't be good...)

Reina slowly awoke, finding that Kyoko had waken and gone already. She stretched, the sky ahead grey and gloomy. She frowned, yawned, and got up. Kyoko was rubbing sticks together, trying to start a fire.

"There's no use in making a fire now," Reina called. "We're gonna be leaving soon, and it looks like it's about to rain."

Kyoko nodded and threw the sticks away. "I have some food in my pouch, you can grab some if you want some, I already ate."

Reina scoffed_. How dare he eat without me...wait, why should I care..._

She hastily grabbed a peice of melon bread, and and sat abrumptly on the ground. Kyoko stared at her in puzzlment. She munched on her breakfast, a bigger frown on her face.

"Exactly **how **long have you been awake?" She snapped.

"Maybe an hour...why?"

Reina gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Then why, may I ask, **didn't you wake me up**!"

Kyoko rose a hand in defence. "Hey, you were peaceful in your sleep, if you want me to wake you up, next time tell me..."

_Awe how sweet!_

"Oh, I didn't know...that was nice of you."

And she continued with her melon bread, leaving Kyoko confused.

"Uh...can we go now? I've been anxious to leave."

Reina nodded and started to leave.

"Hey, wait up!" Kyoko shouted.

"I don't wait for slowpokes!" she yelled back.

Kyoko rolled his eyes and ran to catch up. Panting, he started a slow walk beside her.

"You really are impatient."

"Yeah, you just noticed?"

Reina smirked and ran ahead. Kyoko grumbled and ran after her, lunging forward to grab her shoulders and pull her down. After a couple tries, which were unsuccessful, Kyoko slowed to a jog, making Reina think he had given up. Reina began to walk, head up adn smiling. Kyoko grinned, ran and sprung on her shoulders, pinning her down.

"Who's proud now?"

Reina growled and kicked him off, running away while he picked himself off the ground. He shook his head and caught up, lifting her up by the waist.

"Let me go!" Reina screamed despite of her laughing. Kyoko dropped her, and she lay on the ground breathing hard.

"Ticklish?"

Reina nodded, "Don't do that again...what gave you the idea that you could violate my personal space?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I don't know, an impulse, I guess."

Reina cocked her head, and stood up.

"OK, let's go now. We got to get to another inn...or find another place to stay."

Kyoko gave a small nod and followed her.

They finally reached the town, and found it was smaller than they thought. It was also more desolate than the last. (a.n I know you said slow the story down, but what else am I supposed to write?) They walked around, passing old and crumbling buildings. Perched in a small tree up ahead, was Musuyo. He spotted them coming up the path, and dropped to the ground. He waited for them, leaning agaist the tree's trunk.

"Hey, there's a guy over there, maybe he know where to go." Reina said, pointing to Musuyo. Kyoko shrugged as Reina ran ahead. Musuyo smirked and remained in position.

"Hello, is there a chance you could help us?"

Musuyo looked at Reina carefully. "Of course, and what would you need, my young lady?"

Reina rasied an eyebrow, "Uh, we just wanted to know where a motel or inn might be..."

"Yeah buddy, back off of her, and just tell us."

Reina elbowed him in the stomach, in which he replied with a short mumble.

"There isn't an inn here. It was burnt down a year or two ago," he lied. "But I can take you to a shelter not too far from here if you like."

Kyoko gave her an uneasy glance. Reina nodded at him, and turned back to Musuyo.

"We'd like that very much."

Kyoko scoffed, and Musuyo led them away.


	5. Too Close for Comfort

"Here we are."

They stopped at a small cavern in the middle of a small clearing.

"Have a good evening, both of you…"

He turned to leave and Reina gave a symathetic glance at Kyoko. He shook his head frantically, but Reina didn't notice.

"Please, stay and have a small ration of a supper. It's the least we could do for your generous help."

Musuyo nodded his vein thanks, and sat beside her.

That's a little too close for comfort…

Kyoko scowled at them and stood up.

"I'm uh, going to look for some wood."

"Oh, uhm, OK, be back soon."

Reina smiled. "Oh don't worry, I will be."

And he left through the trees.

"I never got your name? May I ask what it is?"

"Reina. And your's?" she mumbled through a mouthful of ramen.

"Musuyo, glad to have your aquaintence."

And he stuck out his hand. Reina took it, and shook it warmly.

"The pleasure's all mine."

He smiled at her, and she smiled back, still holding each other's hand. At that same moment, Kyoko came back with an arm load with twigs, and was about to turn back, but saw they were shaking hands, getting the wrong idea. He frowned and stomped into the clearing.

"Reina, I need some help, can you?"

Reina nodded and stood up to help him. Musuyo gave an annoyed sigh, and Kyoko grinned in triumph. Reina picked up the twigs, set them in front of Musuyo, and lit them.

"I uh, still need help fetching the ones in there," he said, pointing to the trees. Reina sighed and nodded, waving slightly at Musuyo. He frowned and stared at the fire, alone and waiting.

"What's with you and that guy?" Kyoko asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Nothing...what gives anyway? Why would you care?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I, I don't, I was just wondering, that's all."

Reina gave him a questioning glance, and proceeded to pick up twigs. Kyoko sighed and grabbed the rest of the kindling. They headed back to the clearing, Musuyo sitting by the small fire. Reina ran and dumped the sticks in the fire, the flames licking the twigs and growing bigger. Kyoko took the meat that they had and gave it to Reina to cook.

"If you want it cooked, you cook it. I'm having mine raw." And she swallowed it whole.

Kyoko glanced at the meat, shrugged, and ate it whole as well. Musuyo scrunched his nose, and reluctantly took small bites, slowly gulping it down.

"I'm exausted, I need some sleep." Reina said through a yawn. She stretched and laid herself down onto the ground, rapidly falling into deep sleep. Musuyo glanced at Kyoko awkwardly. Kyoko glared back and lay his head by Reina's. Musuyo scoffed and curled up by his lonesome self, trying to keep warm by the slowly burnt-out fire. Musuyo heard Kyoko's quiet snores and grimaced. He huddled in a tighter ball and shut his eyes tight, grumbling slowly as he fell asleep.

The sun rose and shone bright in Musuyo's eyes. He woke to find Kyoko and Reina already awake, eating together closer by the trees, seeking refuge in the shade from the sun. He faked a yawn, but they didn't notice. Musuyo cursed under his breath and strolled over to them. Reina lifted her head and smiled.

"Good morning. I guess we need to give you some breakfast before we depart."

She reached into Kyoko bag and pulled out an apple, tossing it to Musuyo. He caught it, and, rubbing it on his shirt, took a generous bite out of it. Reina munched the last of her muffin and brushed the crumbs off. She ruffled her hair and stood up.

"I guess we'll be going now...goodbye." Reina stuck out her hand, and Musuyo slowly shook it. He released it, and scratched his head in frustration. He needed to think of something brilliant to make them ask him to come along.

"Uh...but where will I go?"

Reina turned her head, "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice low with questioning.

"I don't know where to go...I uh, don't live anywhere..."

Reina's face turned sympathetic, while Kyoko frowned and grumbled.

"That's too bad...I guess you'll just have to come with us."

Musuyo grinned and ran up beside them. Kyoko rolled his eyes, and walked in between Reina and Musuyo. He shuffled his feet, kicking up dirt in Musuyo's direction. Reina gave Kyoko an evil glance. He scoffed and glared at the ground. She shook her head, and carried on talking with Musuyo.

"I'm grateful for your companionship. I was getting pretty lonely on my own."

Reina nodded her welcome, "The more the merrier, right?"

She grinned, and turned to Kyoko. "Right?"

She smiled wider and cocked her head a couple of times.

"Oh, uh, yeah, the more the merrier. Definately."

Reina sighed at his sarcasm, while Musuyo didn't seem to notice.

"Great, we all get along."

Kyoko gave a short huff under his breath_. Yeah right. You just want to think that._

They walked along for a short time, when they spotted another puff of dark smoke in the air. It seemed to be coming from a rooftop, and Reina was curious to find out.

"Let's go that way. I want to see if it's a place where we can stay the night. It's supposed to be cold tonight."

They both nodded and they headed in the direction of the smoke.

They finally reached a peak that looked over a small settlement. It stooped over it, casting a long shadow over the ground below. They ran down the grassy side and came to a big factory, with a big revolving door at the front. The factory was red with small windows that were cracked for ventilation.

"Maybe it's not a good idea to go in there. It could be dangerous."

Musuyo nodded to Reina. She chuckled.

"It'll be fine. We'll just ask for a place to stay."

Reina led the way and slipped through the revolving door with Musuyo and Kyoko on her heel. The inside was dull and had a strong scent of burning rubber. One side had red lazers, with tables filled with a variety of mechanisms and weapons. The other was preoccupied with long benches filled with paper and long sticks. There was a boiler room on the far side, and the walls were coated with ash and soot.

"Hello? Anyone around?"

There was an echoing, and footsteps sounded from farther in the building. Reina smiled reasurringly at them, and watched as a figure appeared from the staircase by the boiler room. A man with two guards at his sides entered through the door from the stairs.

"Inturders!"

Reina gasped, "No wait, we're mean no harm. Please, listen."

The man grimaced and held a hand out to the guards.

"What is it then. Make it quick."

Reina nodded hastily, "We were just wondering if you had a place for us to stay."

Musuyo gave Kyoko an uncertain glance, which he replied with a shrug. The man gave a hard laugh, and pointed to Reina.

"We have a place for you alright. In our dungeon room. Get them and put them in there."

Reina stood there, frozen by shock. The guards came and held her in a firm grasp. The other got both Musuyo and Kyoko, and they dragged them down the hall.

"Let go of me, bastards! Release me!" Reina screamed, kicking them hard in the kneecaps. They grunted but did not let go. Her anger reaching its highest point, she jerked her head back and bit hard into the guard's arm. It yowled in pain, grabbing its arm. Blood ran down and dripped on the concrete floor. She bolted into the other guard's side and toppled them over, Kyoko and Musuyo wriggling to free themselves. The guard quickly got up and tripped them to the ground. Reina lay in horror as they grabbed them again and pushed them violently to the red lazer area. The man at the top of the stairs turned them off and the guards grabbed sharp knives from one of the tables. They pushed the knives threateningly into their throats. Reina stayed still as the man came down the stairs and lifted her to her feet.

"You are a feisty child, aren't you. This will teach you."

He thrust her down the hall, the guards following, and pushed them into a cellar like room. They grimaced as the barred door slammed, and the mens footsteps faded into silence.


	6. Expect the Unexpected

Kyoko kicked the barred door. Reina paced back and forth, cursing under her breath.

"This stinks! Why did we come here in the first place!?"

Reina gave Kyoko a sharp glance.

"Because I wanted to. Now we have to find a way out."

Reina hit the wall with her fists.

"Aya! Damn this. There's no windows, no cracks to break through."

Kyoko shook his head. "Use your staff, dummy."

Reina waved her finger. "We can't do that. We'll be caught for sure. We need a quieter solution."

Musuyo sat staring at the ground. The silence was becoming louder, when suddenly small footsteps sounded from close by. A girl walked up, dressed in a dirty blue belly shirt, a short-cropped, brown jacket, and baggy, tan pants, equipped with different odds and ends. One of them was a long, hand-made sword. Her hair was short and amberish.

"I am here to help. I was making my rounds when I heard raucous below me."

Reina nodded. "They shoved us in here against our will."

Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I know all too well."

Reina cocked her head and was about to ask how, but she was interrupted.

"I will tell you later, just follow me."

She drew a long, thick wire and plunged it into the keyhole. The door gave a click and she slid it carefully away. They tiptoed out and followed the mysterious girl into a compartment in the roof. They crawled through metal tunnels inside and she led them out of a tube that stuck out of the factory. They slid down the roof and landed in a soft nettle patch. They scurried to the far side of the factory and ran into the woods beyond. Reina agave a sigh of relief, knowing they were home free.

"Thanks a ton. Do you know anywhere we can stay till dawn?"

The girl shook her head, "You'll have to get out of here. They'll be after you if you don't. I can help if you like."

Reina nodded. "Yes, please. We'll probably need it."

"Well before we go, you'll probably want to know my name."

Kyoko nodded swiftly. Reina cocked her head.

"I'm Fiera. I know you're wondering how I know about the factory. I was prisoner there once. I am the daughter of the man that owns it. I disobeyed him when he asked to kill one of the men that was kept hostage in the cellars. He refused to kill me, since I was his kin, and so he kept me prisoner. I escaped, and became a rogue."

Reina nodded sympathetically. Kyoko shrugged and Musuyo stared at his feet (a.n. retard!). Fiera stood still for a moment longer, and turned on her heel to direct them to complete safety. They followed in a clump, whispering to each other. Reina started a conversation with Fiera, telling her all about herself and her friends. Fiera listened intently as Reina spoke.

Fiera nodded slowly. "So, is one of them together with you?"

Reina slowed her pace and ruffled her brow. "Uh, no. Not at all. Just friends."

Fiera smiled. "I was just wondering. It seemed like Kyoko was close to you, so I was curious."

Reina nodded comprenhensively. "Of course, naturally."

Reina glanced back over her shoulder. She grinned as she saw Musuyo trying to spike a conversation with Kyoko. But she knew all too well that the hostility that Kyoko held toward Musuyo hadn't died away, and she expected that it wouldn't anytime soon.

"So, tell me exactly how you managed to get inside the factory."

Reina sighed and began telling the story of the un-meriful capturing, including how they got into the factory in the first place.

"I see. I was just wondering, you have to be stealthy to get passed those guys. They don't take kindly to strangers."

Reina rolled her eyes. "Well now you tell me."

Fiera pointed across a clearing that headed into a thin patch of trees.

"That's how we'll get to the next village. It's quite small and quiet. You'll be good there for the night."

Reina smiled gratefully and they began over the clearing. The sun beat down on them, and they started to slow down to a snail's pace.

"I'm hungry. We'll never reach it by sundown. And I'm way to hot to carry on."

Fiera shot them a fiery glance. "We can take a short break, but we will travel until we get there. The faster we go, the faster we'll get to the village. Now hurry on up."

Kyoko grunted in dismay, but followed along. Reina slowed down to meet Musuyo, and chatted happily with him to make him feel more included. Kyoko shook his head in disgust.

As they walked, the sun began to set, painting bright colors in the sky before them. Even as it became dark, they kept walking. Fiera let out a large yawn, and Reina rubbed her eyes.

"I need a break."

Reina turned her head to Fiera. "Please? We've walked for so long..."

Fiera shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow you. Before you know it, you'll be asleep. I've learned from experience."

Reina sighed, and reluctantly nodded her head. Fiera gave her a sympathetic smile and continued walking. Kyoko sped up and stopped at her side.

"Are you able to go on? Fiera is a bit of the bossy sort, isn't she?"

Reina nudged him gently. "I'll be fine. I understand her reasons. But I swear, when I get to the inn, or the motel, or wherever we're headed, I am slumping on a bed and getting some sleep."

Kyoko grumbled. "Sometimes I think you can't get any nicer."

Reina gave him a challenging gaze. "I'll show you mean."

She skipped back to Fiera's side, leaving Kyoko puzzled.

As dawn approached, Reina could see the top of a temple above another patch of trees. She signed in relief as she realized she'd be able to rest. Kyoko smirked and ran ahead. Musuyo caught up with Reina and Fiera.

"I haven't seen much of you through the trip. How's it going?"

Fiera stuck out a hand at him. He hesitated and shakily accepted it.

"Don't worry. I don't bite."

Reina laughed and watched as Kyoko zig-zagged all over the place. She gasped as he headed into the path of a tree.

"Watch out!"

But her warning was too late. He turned around and crashed face first into the trunk. Reina ran and kneeled by his head.

"Are you OK? That was a big crash you just endured."

Kyoko sat up wearily. "I think I'll be fine... uh, but my head hurts."

Reina saw the forming bump in the middle of his forehead. "Poor thing. Let me help you up."

She held out her hand and Kyoko grabbed it. She pulled him up and helped him steady his balance. She let him go on his own, and he toppled over in the grass.

"Just let them catch up. I'll be good by then."

Reina shook her head, but didn't reply. Soon Fiera and Musuyo got to the tree.

"You alright?"

Fiera eyes glimmered with worry. Musuyo bit his lip.

"Uh...I'll be OK, really. Let's just get going."

He stood up and took a few wobbly steps. His legs buckled and he grasped the tree for support.

"I know this might be risky, but we should just stay here for right now. We can get some sleep too."

Reina sighed, but agreed. A grumble was Kyoko's only reply. Reina lit a small fire to warm them up until the sun was full in the sky. Reina set his head on her lap, and fell asleep against the trunk. Fiera smiled as she watched them sleep. After a time, she yawned and slept herself. Musuyo was the only one awake, watching Kyoko evilly. Reina began to wake up and he pretended to be asleep.

"Are you awake?" she asked, nudging Kyoko's shoulder.

He mumbled and opened his eyes. "Now I am."

She smiled. "Feeling any better?"

Kyoko nodded. "A bit...I've been wondering..."

Reina cocked her head. "What? What is it?"

Kyoko shrugged. "You don't...you don't like Musuyo, do you?"

Reina gave a short giggle. "No, course' not. Why'd you think that...?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Kyoko gave a faint smirk. "N..no reason. It just looked like it...that's all."

Reina kept her eyes narrowed. "You've asked me a similar question before, and I answered no. Why are you persistant to know?"

Kyoko shrugged shyly, and replied, "I'm not persistant. I..."

"You're too protective. There's something wrong with you. Musuyo and I are aquaintences. That's it. You will always be my friend. Stop thinking differently."

She pushed his bangs back from his forehead. "If you think that Musuyo and I would become more than friends before us, you need to think again."

She smiled and pushed him off her lap. Brushing herself off, she went to wake Fiera. Kyoko rubbed his flushed cheeks and followed her.

_It too bad we're not, _he thought.

"Come on. Kyoko is ready to leave now."

Fiera stretched and stood up. "Alright, get Musuyo and let us go."

They traveled through the trees and finally got to the village. Fiera knew the way around, and led them to the inn.

"I doubt we need it now though. Unless you want to stay here for the rest of the day and leave tomorrow at dawn?"

Reina nodded. "That would be the best."

"OK. I best be going now then..."

Reina glanced at Kyoko. "Actually, we'd like you to stay. Travel with us."

Fiera grinned. "If you're sure..."

"Yes. Positive."

Fiera gave a curt nod. "Then I'll stay."

Reina stood beside her and they walked to a nearby cafe. Sitting at a booth, they ordered and ate a well-deserved meal.

"That was good. I can't remember the last time I ate like that."

Kyoko sighed and patted his stomach. "Mhm."

Reina laughed. "We should waste some time looking around the village. It's a nice day to walk around."

They all agreed and quickly left the table. Time passed quickly and they soon saw the sun disappearing into the horizon.

"We better get to the inn now. Not much we can do before its dark."

They soon saw the run-down sign of the inn, and they started to run to it, laughing along the way. They went inside and Fiera talked to the man at the front desk.

"We get in for free, thanks to me."

Reina cocked her head. "How?"

"Yeah, how?" Kyoko chimed in.

Fiera rolled her eyes. "I know that guy. He's one of my..."friends" I guess."

Reina shrugged. "Alright then."

They went up to their rooms and said goodnight. Fiera turned the lights out and they slept peacefully for the night. Kyoko knocked on the other side of the wall and Reina yelled at him to shut up. Musuyo laughed at him, and Kyoko gave him an icy glare. When they finally settled down, they turned off the lamps and fell asleep.

In the morning, Kyoko woke Reina up, and complained to her about having shared a room with Musuyo.

"He's not that bad. Get used to him."

Kyoko crossed his arms and followed her to the lobby. They grabbed a muffin for the other two and waited for them outside the inn. Fiera came out looking fresher than she did the day before, to the help of Reina.

"Lookin' great. Not as soiled as you were when we first met haha."

Fiera smiled. "My hair was a little tangled before."

They got up and started to head out. Chewing contently on their muffins, they walked to the outskirts of town.

"When we get into clear area, how's about we spar? It's good practise in case we bump into any weird creatures."

Fiera nodded her head. "Challenge you?"

Reina narrowed her eyes, "You're on!"

Kyoko ran up to them. "What are we doing?"

Reina sighed. "We're sparring once we get into a clear area."

Kyoko grinned. "I challenge you then..."

Reina raised her eye brows, "Sorry, but me and Fiera are going head-to-head first. Why don't you fight Musuyo? I'm sure he's an excellent opponent."

Kyoko grumbled. "Come on. I always have to be left with him."

Reina gave an irritated snort. "Fine, then you'll just have to wait."

Kyoko rolled his eyes but didn't respond. They walked a little further, and finally got out of the village and under clear skies.

"This is a good spot." Reina stopped in a nice grassy place, the sun beaming bright.

Fiera dug her heels in and got into a ready position. Reina did the same, and waited for Fiera to give the first move. Her face became serious and her hair turned to flames. Reina was caught off guard and Fiera blasted her with a fury of swipes. Reina regained herself and, grasping her staff, sent her a gust of icy water. Fiera shook it off and continued to give Reina whirls of flames. She dodged some, and reflected a few, but the last knicked her on the leg and she clutched it. She grew angry and aimed thunderbolts at her. Unable to defend herself, she endured them. The smoke encircled the area, and Reina spotted her almost down on the ground. She sent her a last hit of water, and she dropped to her knees.

"Nice one. You're too good."

Reina shrugged. "Practise. Here let me help you up."

Fiera grabbed her hand and hoisted herself up. Brushing off the dust, walked over to Kyoko.

"You're up. Be ready for a fight."

Kyoko snorted in defiance and walked up to Reina.

"Ready when you are."

Reina laughed. "I'm always ready." At that she sent Kyoko flying with gust of wind. He dug his feet in and kept his balance. He did a counter attack with his sword, hitting Reina's staff out of her hands. Not having time to pick it up, she took her daggars and threw them his way. One skimmed his shoulder and the other he dodged. He hit her with his sword continuously until she grasped it and threw it away. He ran to get it, but Reina bowled him over, and he rolled on the ground. Reina retrieved the sword and walked cooly over to where he lay. Reina stared at him for a moment, and started to freak when he didn't move. She was just about to go get help when he stuck his hand out and pulled her down in the grass. Kyoko laughed as she fell face first into the ground. She growled and sat herself onto his back, wrestling with his hands and legs to tie him up in knots. Fiera ran over and pulled her off him.

"OK, OK I give. I could have gotten you..."

Reina laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You would have beaten me but you got too distracted by my beauty, and you let me win because you think I'm just a helpless girl."

She laughed so hard, she flopped down on the ground. Fiera followed along in the laughing. Kyoko grumbled and sat with his head up in defiance.

"I could have."

Musuyo strolled up and gave a short chuckle.

"Hey, my turn. Who challenges me?"

Fiera gave a thoughtful look. "Well, winner faces next in line. I guess you gotta face Reina..."

Reina shrugged. "Sure, why not. The more practise the better."

She stood up and readied herself for the fight.

"You go ahead and make the first move," Musuyo said."

Reina narrowed her eyes and blasted him with huge icicles. Musuyo reflected them and Reina had to duck to dodge her own attack. She sent a stream of light at him, but he sucked it in with his hands and turned into darkness, sending it back to her. It hit her straight in the middle of the stomach and she was kncked off balance. She grunted and fell on her knees to the ground. Kyoko gasped and ran to help her up. Musuyo smirked and joined them.

"You alright? Sorry for the heavy blow."

Reina shook her head. "I'll be OK. Nice moves."

Musuyo held his head high. "Thanks..."

Kyoko glared at him. He ran a finger across his neck, signaling Musuyo he better not do it again. Musuyo ruffled his brow and crossed his arms.

"You're not hurt?"

Reina sighed. "I'm fine. Really. Stop worrying."

She stood up and limped over to Kyoko's sack. She pulled out some melonbread and munched greedily at it.

"You did good though," Fiera commented. "I probably wouldn't have made as far as you did. And, no offence, it wasn't that long either."

Reina nodded. "None taken. I know, I wish I could have lasted a little longer."

Fiera didn't reply, but gave her a small smile. She finished of the melonbread, gave herself a last brush and was ready to go.

_That's enough practise for now. Especially from Musuyo._

They walked in the afternoon sun, cooled off by the small gusts of wind that blew their way. Reina sighed happily, feeling free and absorbing the sunlight. Kyoko kept in step with her, with Fiera right behind and Musuyo on their tails. Kyoko looked back over his shoulder to keep an eye on Musuyo. He narrowed his eyes and turned his attention back on Reina.

"We should just pass the next place we see. It'll make the journey shorter."

Reina shrugged. "I don't really care when the journey ends. Frankly, I could go on forever like this."

Kyoko rolled his eyes, but didn't respond. After a while of silence, they felt a rumbling from under them. Reina held out her hands to steady herself from tumbling over. Musuyo had no emotion on his face, which made Kyoko suspicious. After the rumbling stopped, they heard the sound of ground breaking, and finally saw a gigantic, steel-coloured snake hovering above them with flashing green eyes. Its tounge lashed out in vicious licks, and it dove into the ground, just missing Fiera. Reina tried blasting it with her staff, but it done virtually nothing. It snapped its jaws just in front of their faces. It shook its head in frustration and dove at Reina again. Frozen in shock, she was unable to dodge. Kyoko's eyes widened in horror, and bowled her over to the side, just as it crashed into the ground once more. Hissing in rage, it slithered into the hole it came out of, and was gone. The dust clearing, Reina lifted her head from Kyoko's arm.

"You...you saved me..."

Weakly putting his head to see her, he smiled wryly and dropped his head again. Reina rolled off of him and grunted as she hit the ground.

"That was close," Fiera said, crawling over to them. "Nice save."

Musuyo muttered under his breath and, collecting himself, strolled to where they lay. Pretending to be worried, he tried to soothe them.

"At least you're alive. All thanks to Kyoko." He struggled to say the last of his sentence. Kyoko mumbled, but said nothing else.

"I think we need to step it up. We should have defeated it," Fiera added. Then, lowering her voice to a bare whisper, "Musuyo wasn't a very big help, seeing how he beated you so easily."

Reina nodded half-heartedly, her attention focused on something else.

"Well let's get going before we meet up with anything else."

Fiera leading the way, Reina, Kyoko and Musuyo followed along away from the disaster area.


	7. Smiles&Secrets

Arriving in the next town, Reina payed (yet again) for the traveling food. After a walk through the town, they found a trail through a thick forest.

"We should use this as a short-cut."

They all agreed and headed up the small hill the trail led into. Reaching the top, they found a circle of trees, making a decent camping area.

"This is great. We can stay here for the night."

Fiera gave a small nod, and started gathering twigs for a fire. Musuyo glanced anxiously around, and disappeared through the thicket. Reina shrugged and continued lighting the fire.

Panting, Musuyo stopped running and leaned against a tree. A hand grasped his shoulder and he jumped. He turned around to find it was only Kijo.

"You gave me a fright there..."

Kijo waved a hand to silence him. "They give me a fright, you fool. You have done almost nothing to earn their trust, especially that boy, Kyoko. Reina is getting there, but their bond is much stronger than I had hoped. I'm sorry to say, but I'm going to bring in your sister."

Musuyo gasped. "But, Shukun Kijo, she's mad. You can't..."

"Shush. She can help. I have her under control. She knows the concequences." Turning her head, she called, "You may come now, my pet."

A young girl stepped out of the shadows and stood behind Kijo.

"You remember your brother, don't you Yakunan?"

She snickered. "All too well, Shukun. Hello brother. It'll be nice to work with you."

He grumbled a "hello" and shuffled his feet. "Why are you wearing those rags?"

She snorted. "It's part of our plan, thick head. You will pretend to find me while searching for...what were you looking for?"

Musuyo gave an irritated sigh. "Sticks. For fire."

"Right, right. Anyway, you bring me back to camp, one of those dimwits fixes me up..."

She pulled her sleeve up and revealed a large gash along the side of her arm.

"And we be friends and I go along with you to, in the end, destroy them."

Musuyo nooded, and Kijo smirked.

"Then go. And try not to act suspicious you two."

They nodded simultaneously and ran off.

Reina had meanwhile made a large fire and had started cooking some leftover meat that they saved inside Kyoko's sack. Ruffling behind some bushes roused them to turn their heads and watched as Musuyo emerged, grasping the arm of a girl with one hand, while he carried a few sticks in the other. The girl had tears streaming down her face, and blood stained her dirty clothes.

"Please, help me," she sobbed. "It hurts."

Reina grabbed a bandana that Kyoko carried in his back pocket and ripped into strips, tying it on the wound. She placed the girl's hand on top of cloth for pressure.

"I found her on the ground while getting sticks. She said she got mauled by an un-identified animal..."

Reina nodded. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Yakunan." She whispered, her words coming out ragged due to her trembling.

Reina's mind froze. _Evil..._

"W..what a pretty name." She stuttered in vain.

"Well, we can't leave her alone, now can we?"

Kyoko scoffed.

"No we can't," she accentuated her words. "She'll just have to come with us."

Kyoko grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the group.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Reina rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you seem to have problems with everyone. Yes, I think it's a good idea. The bigger, the better."

Reina stood up and walked over to Yakunan. "You are free to travel with us if you like."

Yakunan's eyes glimmered with joy. "Really? You mean it?"

Reina nodded her head in approval. Yakunan jumped up and hugged her with her good hand. Reina smiled and sat her down.

"Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

Yakunan was hesitant, but soon began talking.

"I am 15. My family abandoned me not that long ago. I guess that's why they gave me my name...I bet I wasn't good enough for them. But they abandoned me anyhow. They just kinda kicked me out."

Musuyo rubbed her shoulder tightly, smiling her way. Yakunan gently shrugged it off.

"That's horrible. So, you're not even going to try turning back?"

Yakunan shook her head sadly. "No. I'm too lost to do that anyway."

Kyoko muttered under his breath. His thoughts were _this group is getting too big for my liking..._

"Well, the plan is we're sleeping here for the night, leaving in the morning for the next village, and stopping to get you some decent clothes."

Yakunan gave a nod of gratitude and pulled up closer to the fire. Musuyo sat beside her, and Yakunan gave him an irritated glare. He responded with a smirk, and Yakunan had no choice but to tolerate it. The sky grew dark, the stars coming out slowly, and one by one, the group began to fall asleep beside the fire, that was still brightly burning. Musuyo and Yakunan held back, waiting for everyone to doze off. After Fiera, the last of the three to drop off, went to sleep, they started talking.

"I like that one," Yakunan said as she pointed to Reina. "She's quite the trusting one now isn't she?"

"Yes she is. That was too easy."

Yakunan scoffed. "Way too easy. Kijo mentioned that you had to get close to that one. What do you plan to do? She's not that trusting, I can tell you that now..."

Musuyo gave a chuckle. "Oh don't worry. When we get into the next town, I have a plan to take out."

Yakunan narrowed her eyes. "And that would be...?"

Musuyo lowered his head. "Let's just say it's gonna make Kyoko even more jealous."

Yakunan nodded her head slowly, obviously intrigued by the mention of the plan. "What about me? Kijo said I had a part to play in this. I want a good role."

Musuyo scratched his head in thought. "Kyoko would be a good catch for you..."

Yakunan nodded frantically. "Yes, then I can make the girl mad!"

Musuyo sighed and shook his head in dismay. "That's not the point of it. Remember, we're doing it so we get trust from most people in this group of dingbats."

"I understand."

Musuyo gave a final nod, and drifted to sleep. Yakunan followed, curling up in a tight ball. As the fire died, eyes glimmered in the dim light, anger showing inside of them.

The sun rose high the next morning, waking up Reina. She stretched and crawled over to Kyoko, shaking him violetly. Kyoko grumbled and rolled over on his side. Reina poked and prodded him until he finally woke up.

"Why are you such a bother?" he asked grumpily.

Reina shrugged and went to see to Fiera. She awoke more easily, but was more nervous to see Reina.

"Gooood morning! We won't be having breakfast just yet. We'll have to walk a bit first..."

She was interrupted. "I need to talk to you, Reina. It's about..."

Reina shook her head. "I'm sure it's not that urgent. I'm sorry but I'm a bit busy with Kyoko. He's more grumpy than he usually is, and he's treating everyone like dung. I'll talk later, OK?"

And she ran off, leaving Fiera downhearted. Kyoko grumbled, lumbering around, pacing back and forth.

"Can we go now? I'm getting hungry. And annoyed."

Reina sighed. "What's wrong with you this morning? I'm not going to take anything from you my friend. Either stop being a tight ass or go be a loner somewhere else."

Stomping off, she rolled her eyes to look at Yakunan's arm. The bleeding had shed through the cloth, and Reina applied another layer. Tying it in a knot, she mumbled, "We'll be going soon. I hope your arm won't slow you down."

Yakunan shook her head. "It won't. With all this care, it'll be better in no time."

She smiled at Reina, and she giggled warmly. She gave it a soft pat and went to see Fiera.

"You said you had something to tell me? Well now's the time."

Fiera nodded. "Well, it was bothering me, and I wasn't exactly sure if I should tell you or not. But I decided you should know. I was sitting around and I..."

She was interrupted by Musuyo's voice calling her. Fiera shook her head, but let Reina go talk with Musuyo.

"What is it now?" Reina asked tiredly.

Musuyo looked up at her. "Oh, I just need help tying this...," He held up a cloth and swung it around his neck. "Please?"

Reina scratched her forehead, but took the ends of the cloth and tied it for him.

"There. Now please, leave me in peace for a while."

She took off for Fiera again, but when she reached the spot where she had just been, she was gone. Reina gave a huff of frustration, and left to gather everyone up to leave.

All settled in one group, walking in the afternoon sun, Reina noticed they all looked beat down and tired, even after the night's rest they had. Thinking of her own hunger, ran up ahead to Kyoko.

"You're probably as hungry as I am, aren't you?"

Kyoko shrugged. "It depends on how hungry you are," trying to make a joke despite the odd silence. "Just kidding."

Reina gave a curt chuckle. "Well, my stomach tells me that if I don't get food soon, it'll probably burst. I wonder how long it is until the next village..."

Fiera tapped her shoulder. "I'm getting hungry..."

"That's what we were just discussing."

Fiera sighed. "Everyone looks as if they are all hungry and tired. I wanna stop walking and rest. Can you see any signs of a town?"

Reina strained her eyes to see over the vast plains, but nothing came to her. "No, sorry. We'll get there, don't worry."

But even though Fiera and Kyoko looked reassured, Reina wasn't so confident. All there was in front of them were big open fields, and not a tree in sight. And with the sun beating down on them, it made the going even more tough. Musuyo, who was trailing behind with Yakunan and was whispering in her ear secretivly. Fiera grunted, which puzzled Reina.

"Are you feeling sick or something? You've been acting weird ever since this morning."

Fiera shook her head. "No I'm fine. I just really need to talk to you in private."

Reina nodded. "Tonight when everyone's asleep, we can talk."

Fiera gave a wry smile. Kyoko raised an eyebrow, but was silent. Reina fell behind once more, and chatted comtentedly with Yakunan, with Musuyo listening in on the conversation. Fiera looked over her shoulder, and tugged at Kyoko's arm.

"What is it? Is there something you want to tell me too?"

Fiera shook her head. "No, but I'm worried for Reina...don't ask why. But you should stay close to her..."

"You mean protect her?"

Kyoko gave a suspicious glance. "I don't think there is any reason to believe that she's in any danger. Unless you're referring to all the demons that are popping up. But other than that..."

"I really want you to keep an eye on her. I will tell her too. But for now, just take care with her in secret for the time being."

She gave him a puppy-eye look, and Kyoko sighed in defeat. "Fine, but you have to tell her sooner or later, or I'll tell her myself that I was given "orders" from you."

Fiera nodded and bounced happily over to Reina. Kyoko stared over at them as they laughed. Shrugging, he walked on in front of the group.

After walking a long distance, Kyoko started to smell smoke. It was faint, but he waited for them to catch up.

"Don't you smell that?"

Reina lifted her head to sniff the air. Fiera and Musuyo did the same.

"Yeah, I do. It smells of smoke...what do you think it means?"

Kyoko shrugged. "Either destruction or another village. We might as well follow the scent and find out."

Reina nodded, and no one disagreed. With all of them in a line, they walked on with Kyoko and Reina leading the way of the scent trail. Not long after, they spotted low hills with small whisps of smoke appearing from the tops. They climbed the hills and found a ruined village. The creature that had created the destruction had obviously left, for there was no trace of a demon or monster. They skidded down the hill side, and walked along the banks of the village. There were people coming out from hiding places, searching for loved ones or grieving over their losses. There were bodies sprawled over the ground, blood shed amoungst them.

"It looks horrible..." Reina noted as she tripped over a dead man's leg. Fiera scrunched her nose in disgust, whilst Musuyo and Yakunan paid no attention. Kyoko stayed close to Reina's side, as requested. A couple that had been crouched on the ground stood up and shakily walked over to them.

"What are you young ones doing here? Are you part of this?" the man asked, pointing around him to the burnt down village.

They all shook their heads, even Musuyo and Yakunan, who were both thinking the same thing_, this was shukun's doing, no doubt._

"We just smelled the smoke coming from the burning houses. We were just passing through. But if you need help rebuilding..."

Reina smiled, and the couple gave each other interested glances. They nodded, which got groans from the others. Reina gave a wry smile.

"But there is a catch to this..."

The couple gave suspicious glances.

"We need a place to stay for the night. If you could supply that..."

The woman whispered in the man's ear. The man turned to Reina. "I guess that's not too much to ask."

Reina smiled her thanks and followed the couple farther into the village. Men were lifting debris off the ground and helping others find belongings. The couple led them to a temple, which wasn't that shaken up as the rest of the village.

"This is the first job you can do. Just clean the temple up a bit and throw anything that can't be helped out. After you're done, come see us at the motel over there." The woman instructed, pointing to a building with the far wall stripped apart. Kyoko walked inside and looked around the large space. There were broken windows, which had to be repaired last, statues that were tipped over and chipped, and wood all over the floor. Reina began lifting the statues upright, while Musuyo and Kyoko picked up the wood scraps. Yakunan and Feira scooped up the glass shards, and went to discard them in anything available outside. Kyoko handed an armful of wood to Musuyo, who went to throw them away. Reina picked up the chips of the statues and followed them out. Coming back to help Kyoko, grabbed a some wood from Kyoko's hands.

"I think I can help with that..."

Kyoko shook his head. "Let us do this. Go pick up some glass or something. You might hurt something."

Reina responded with a growl of disatisfaction. "I will not be taken for a weakling. I think I can do this small task, Kyoko. Now let me do as I wish."

But Kyoko kept a firm grasp on the peice of wood that she was attempting to steal away. She grumbled and went to pick up another peice. Kyoko took hold of that one too, making Reina even more angry. She picked up a pile, and set them upon her arms. She started to walk away, but Kyoko gently tripped her. The wood flew from her hands, and Kyoko caught her by the waist. She struggled to break away, but Kyoko took her up in an embrace. Their gaze met and they held it for a long moment, feeling each other slowly getting closer. Musuyo had come back and had stared at the scene, which was horrifying to him. Snarling, he began to make noises to break them up. Reina and Kyoko heard the footsteps and their gaze broke. Releasing her, Kyoko resumed to picking up wood. Musuyo stomped in and gathered the rest of wood pile. Huffing in rage, he left them to finish up. Yakunan and Fiera walked in with confused looks spread across their pale faces.

"What with him? He looks pretty agitated..." Feira commented.

"Yeah, he looks like he got his heartbroken or something. He's in a really bad mood." Yakunan added.

Reina shrugged. "I don't know. We were here when he came back in that mood."

Kyoko shrugged as well, but rolled his head in pure annoyance for being interrupted.

"We better head for the motel now. It doesn't look like we can do any more here." Kyoko said aloud.

They all nodded and jogged over to the motel. Musuyo was already there, as was the couple. They came over and greeted them.

"We need to burn down the rest of this motel. No use for it any more, seeing as one whole side caved in. Just grab a torch and light the base. It'll spread upward and soon it'll be nothing but ashes."

The couple nodded and disappeared around the corner of the motel. Kyoko immediately lit a torch and began to light the building. Fiera and Yakunan did the same. Watching Reina move to the torches, Musuyo's anger bubbled over at this point and he ran to grab her and pull her away from the rest of the group. Reina went along willingly, although she was confused. When they were out of sight, Musuyo turned her to face him.

"What's going on?" Reina asked.

Musuyo didn't answer, and she opened her mouth to ask again, but Musuyo put two fingers to hush her. Dropping his hand, he held her closer and kissed her. She pushed him away, and stared in confused horror. Unable to speak, she turned and ran away, leaving Musuyo standing alone, with a smirk of satisfaction on his face.

A single tear ran down her cheek, which she wiped away hastily, so as not to worry Kyoko. She dashed past them and into a patch of trees to be alone and think about what had just occurred. Fiera tugged on Kyoko's shirt and pointed at the trees. He nodded quickly and hastened after her. Listening to the hard footsteps ahead, he followed by ear. Reina hadn't stopped running, but was beginning to tire. Huffing, she finally rested upon a large rock settled under a shady tree. Kyoko soon found her, slowly walking up to her and gently touching her shoulder.

"What happened, Reina?" Kyoko's concerned voice rang out.

She didn't look up nor did she respond. Kyoko bent down to brush the bangs out of her saddened face. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and she kept his wandering gaze until she burst into sobs and embraced him.

"It was Musuyo, I swear! I had no intention of it what-so-ever!" she cried.

Kyoko gave hushing sounds and rubbed her back to confort her.

"What did he do now? I swear I'll tear him apart..."

She wiped the tears from her eyes and grabbed Kyoko's shoulders.

"You have to promise me that you won't blame me for this. And you can't touch Musuyo for it either. Or else he'll know I have told you. Do you understand? I need your word."

Kyoko nodded. "I promise."

Reina lowered her eyes for a moment, and letting go of his shoulders, she blurted out, "He kissed me, Kyoko! And I hate myself for it! I'm sorry!"

She hugged him again, his face plastered with a shocked look. Carefully breaking away, he finally asked, "He...he kissed you? And you let him...?"

Reina shook her head vigorously. "No! I broke away from him and ran. I swear to you, Kyoko! Please believe me!"

Kyoko sat stunned for a moments silence, and then slowly nodded. "I believe you...it's just hard to take in right now..."

Reina cocked her head slightly. "Why is that so? I know that we're friends and all but I didn't think you'd mind this much. Is there something I'm not aware of?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I don't think so..." he mumbled.

A small smile grew on her face, and standing up, she lifted Kyoko up as well. "You don't need to hide anything from me. What's on your mind?"

Kyoko searched her face, but no distinguished emotion showed through. He looked through his whirling thoughts, and sighed in defeat.

"I..."

Reina took his hands and urged him to finish.

"I...I love you...Reina..."

He lowered his head, waiting for the rejection. But it never came. Reina lifted his chin up and lay a hand on his cheek.

"I love you too, Kyoko."

A smile broke on both of their faces, and Kyoko took her up in a big embrace. It seemed like forever before they let go and started back for the village. Half way there, Kyoko let her ride on his back, for she was still tired from the run. Fiera and Yakunan stared at them as they came back together, grins spread on both their faces. Musuyo wasn't there, which was a relief to Reina. Yakunan gave a snort of displeasure, and Fiera smiled as they passed. Kyoko dropped Reina to the ground and she hurried over to them.

"What do we have to do now?" she asked, her voice sounding as if nothing happened.

"Sweep away the ashes. There are small brooms over there." Fiera replied, pointing to a wall with brooms set upon it.

She ran and grabbed two, throwing one in Kyoko's direction. Catching it, he walked over to the rubble and slowly started to sweep. Reina accidentally kicked up ashes at Kyoko, who took it as a practical joke, and flung some at her. It missed and got Fiera instead, who threw some at Reina. Soon an ash-throwing fight had started, and they were covered in dirt. Musuyo came back to see them filthy and laughing. His anger had melted, and he smirked again, assuming that she hadn't told anyone of the recent event. He walked away, leaving them with their business. Kyoko had saw him looking their way, and his hatred overflowed. Thoughts of revenge encircled his head, giving his eyes glimmering with a slight evil that had encased him.

_I will get back at him. No matter what or how long it takes. I will make sure he can't get at Reina again_.


	8. Jealousy or Rage

They had finished a lot of the village repairments, and the sun was quickly going down. The couple kept their word and led them to a smaller inn, one that wasn't as ruined as everything else. They got two rooms, one for Musuyo and Kyoko, the other for Reina, Fiera and Yakunan. While Yakunan left to wash up, Reina told Fiera about her and Kyoko. They giggled together until Yakunan entered the room. Reina covered herself with the blankets, which she found extremely irritating. The walls were bland, the beds small and worn. There were no windows, and the carpeting was old and ragged. Reina assured herself that mice lived inside the walls and bugs inside the matresses. But she didn't speak her thoughts, worried that she'd disturb the other girls' sleep with her assumptions. Even so, she relaxed and let her head hit the firm pillow. Her eyes soon closed, and she fell into a deep sleep.

She was running through a forest, tripping over objects that were sprawled on the ground. Her breath came out as fast huffs, and the sky was dark above her. She spotted Kyoko laying on a rock face, a blood pool forming beside him. She saw the faint rise and fall of his chest, and rushed to his side.

"Kyoko? Are you okay?"

Kyoko didn't answer, but he pointed to a hill just in front of them. They saw Musuyo standing on the peak, laughing evilly, with two figures by his sides that could not be identified. Kyoko's hand fell and, with one last glance at Reina, closed his eyes for the last time.

"Kyoko…? No, don't leave me!" she cried.

But he did not move. Death had taken him, and Reina let out an ear splitting scream.

"NO!"

She woke up, sweat beads trickling on her forehead. Breathing hard, she lay her head back on the pillow.

_Just a dream…a simple nightmare…_

She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, and removed the itchy covers. The sound of the bathroom door shutting woke Fiera and Yakunan. Fiera yawned and got out of the bed. Yakunan stayed under the covers until Reina stepped out of the bathroom. When they were finally all ready, they went and rapped on the guys' door.

"What took you so long? We've been waiting." Kyoko said, opening the door.

They gave a sigh and walked down the hall and down the stairs. Kyoko glared at Musuyo, who had a smile on his face. Musuyo noticed Kyoko's jealous looks, and he relished it. Reina payed no attention to them, happily giggling with Fiera and Yakunan. Sunlight enfolded them as they ran out the front doors and into the fresh air. The stench of the smoke had, for the most part, faded. They looked around for the couple that had helped them the day earlier. Soon spotting them, they walked over, the couple greeting them with bright faces. The woman handed them breakfast and motioned them to sit. After moments of small talk, Reina chirped,

"We'll have to leave today..."

The couple's smiles turned to concerned frowns.

"And why is this? There is still a lot of work to do."

Reina lowered her gaze. "Are we obliged? I mean, we did say we were just passing by. And we did help tremedously. Isn't that enough to get you started? We kinda have to move along with our journey."

The others looked hopefully at the couple. After glances at each other, they gave hesitant nods, "Yes, I guess you are right. We shouldn't keep you. Good luck with your travels then."

Reina nodded gratefully and put her scraps in the small container that they had with them. Motioning everyone to get up, she gave a curt bow and led everyone down the dirt path that went out of the village. Kyoko pushed Musuyo aside and ran up beside Reina. She acknowleged him with a hug, keeping her arm around his waist. Musuyo growled under his breath, narrowing his eyes. He just glared at them, making sure Kyoko didn't notice. Reina still pondered about what Fiera had wanted to tell her so long ago. She thought she had forgotten, and shrugged. No need to worry about it.

Conveniently finding a stream, they stopped to rest on the sun-baked rocks and drink the cold water. The sun was hot in the sky, but Reina noticed that clouds were forming and were starting to pass in the way of the sun. Through the silence, Yakunan glanced at them all and started to speak.

"How long do you expect us to go on? Frankly, I think it's high time we found a place to stay for a while."

Reina shrugged, a little angered at the suggestion. "We're planning on celebrating in the Japanese Lantern Festival..."

Kyoko snapped his fingers. "That's what it was called! How could have I forgotten?..."

Reina cleared her throat and nodded. "Yes, the Japanese Lantern Festival. And after that, I'm not really sure what to do. We're not really expecting anything after that."

They all nodded in unison. Yakunan scoffed and folded her arms. Musuyo shrugged at her and stood up to brush himself off. Reina did the same and they left the resting spot. The clouds were darkening, angry and seemed to be full with water just waiting to pour down upon them. Reina accelerated into a speed walk, which the others adapted to and sped up with. Kyoko was the one to feel the first raindrop to fall. Reina felt the second, and after that it started to soak them all, and they ran blindly, trying to find cover. They were doused before they found an abandoned old barn. Scuffling inside, they huddled together trying to get the least bit dry. Kyoko put his hyori over Reina's shoulders. She gave a single shudder before falling into a light sleep. Resting her head onto his shoulders, Kyoko dozed off as well. Fiera found it hard to sleep, and so stayed awake with Yakunan and Musuyo. They listened to the drops of water patter and ricoche off outside objects.

"How long are we gonna have to stay here? It's so much more boring than usual." Yakunan grumbled.

Fiera stared at her feet. "As long as the rain keeps falling, we're stuck here."

Musuyo nodded curtly. Yakunan grimaced and hugged her knees tightly. Dark shadows cast on the walls and danced across the wooden planks. Fiera watched as the water droplets collected on the window and broke apart, sliding down and making streaks. Their breath came in whisps, the barn slowly growing colder as the rain progressed. The time was passing slowly, and by late afternoon, the rain had finally faded to a light trickling. Reina was still sleeping on Kyoko's shoulder, his face filled with a tender smile. Stroking her hair, he gently rocked her awake. Yawning, they all stood up and headed into the dampening atmosphere outside.

The clouds had broken up enough to let some of the sun shine down and dry the remnants of the water off. Reina shrugged off Kyoko's hyori and stretched her tired limbs. The grass, wet with rain droplets, made damp marks on their pants and shoes. Musuyo, who was still loathing Kyoko for all the attention he was getting, followed them closely, with Yakunan at his side. Fiera, who was still aware of Musuyo and Yakunan's evil scheme, was jitterish to tell Reina. Keeping a keen eye on them, she shuffled her feet along, stopping once and a while to brush off dirt from the back of her pants or fluff up her hair. After a while of walking in silence, they began to hear the sound of whistling. They all stopped to listen to the catchy tune, trying to pinpoint the direction it was coming from. Suddenly, a russling came from a nearby bush. They all stared intently at the shaking leaves, waiting for some animal to pop out at them. The russling became more abrupt, and they all took a step back fromt the bush. But to their puzzled surprise, a little boy jumped out from the green leaves. He looked about ten or so, with short brown hair and pale face features. He carried a bow and arrows on his back, his shirt a purplish color, which was unmatching to his greyish pants. He stared up at them with glimmering eyes, nodding a hello. Reina gave a short wave and smiled.

"Hey there, where are you from?"

The boy shrugged. "There's a small village behind this path. That's where I came from. But you can't be too careful there. It's a bit of a wreck right now and I the people are a little cranky."

Reina glanced at the ground thoughfully. "Do you mind taking us there? We're just travellers who pass by town after town. We won't be staying long."

The boy cocked his head. "I don't think I can do that, there's no place for you to stay inside the village. But if you want I can lead you to the camps on the opposite side. There you can stay on the lofts in the small huts. It's quite homely really."

"That sounds great...do you mind if I get your name?"

"I'm Laine. I know it's not the kind of name that you'd hear everyday, but I'm not really all Japanese...but what about all your names?"

They began to walk as they introduced themselves to the hospitable Laine.

"My sister stays in one of the huts in the camp. I have to stay in the village and help the adults with the work. If you see a girl in a blue night gown with long black hair with a pink bow, tell her that you're Laine's friends. She'll warm up to you easily."

Yakunan snuffled and grumbled at the thought of looking after a little girl. Walking on the dirt path that swiveled around the plain looking huts, they saw small children and female peasants walking around doing small chores, like walking around with baskets on their heads. Laine opened one of the doors to a bigger looking hut. Inside there were three cots on each side, with a wall on the far side separating the two opposite sides. There were two bathrooms, which looked more like porter potties. The floor was concrete with a small rug in the middle to sit and eat meals. It looked better on the inside than it did on the outside, which consisted of dark wood for the walls and pale grass for the roof of the hut. Reina flopped down on the cot, sighing as she slapped her face into the covers.

"What do you usually do around here? I'm getting kinda hungry if you ask me."

Laine gave a light chuckle. "You can ask some of the maidens by the orchard to get some fruit for you. If they ask, Laine sent you". He winked and left them to tend to themselves.

Shrugging, Kyoko followed and headed over to the trees on the bank of a running stream, with Reina, Musuyo and Fiera at his heels. Yakunan grunted and stayed at the hut, curling up on her cot and trying to fall asleep. After about 5 minutes, she smirked and, with an evil smile, got up and ran to catch up to Kyoko.

"Hey Kyoko!"

He turned his head to see her running down the slope towards him. Reina also noticed and cocked her head in puzzlement.

"Can I borrow you for a second? I...uh...need help reaching something..."

Kyoko shrugged at Reina and followed her farther into the trees. Musuyo caught Yakunan's grin and cheerfully fell into step beside Reina.

"Where are you taking me?" Kyoko asked confused. She didn't answer, but pulled harder on his hand, going deeper and deeper into the underbrush. Beginning to feel anxious, he ripped his arm from her grasp.

"What do you want? This makes no sense."

Yakunan's smile turned into a flat line across her face. "I want to be apart from them. You seem like someone I could possibly get to know better than the rest of them. They're all too cautious..."

She stepped forward and touched his arm. "Don't you agree?"

As she stepped closer, he stepped back. Trying to keep a distance from her, he clumsily tripped over a tree stump, falling backwards and falling on the grass. Yakunan stared at him for a moment until deciding to sit on his stomach. He grunted lightly by the sudden weight.

"Well? Wouldn't you like to know me better? That Musuyo doesn't appeal to me at all. Seeing as he's more into Reina, I don't see it as a problem, do you...?"

Kyoko's face began to burn. Clenching his fist, he tried to suppress his anger.

"Anyway, I'm much more interested in what you think of me. Is it true that I have better features than Fiera? Or even Reina? I want to know you're opinion. I'm sure you won't lie to me, and I certainly won't tell them..."

Just hearing Yakunan ramble on about herself and talk badly of Reina made Kyoko outraged. He pushed her off his stomach, standing up and roughly brushing himself off.

"Sorry if i made you dirty. So back to your opinion. What is it? My eyes, hair, fair skin? What is it that attracts you to me?"

He had it. "You will never match up to Reina! And it's annoying when you gab about yourself like that! It's a huge turnoff, and to talk about the others in such a rude manner doesn't make it any better! And..."

At this outburst, Yakunan felt the need to calm him down. As such, she leaned in, hugging his face in her hands, and gently touched her lips to his. Kyoko's eye's flew open in shock. After the realization sunk in, he shook free of her arms and stared at her in awe.

"Are you better now? You were a bit mad before..."

Kyoko sighed angrily. "What made you do that?!" Shaking his head, he ran out of the space that became larger and larger as he broke away. Coming to the start of the dirt path, he kept running until he caught sight of the group, which had joined a small huddle of maidens with baskets of fruit.

"Hey where's Yakunan?" Reina called to him, unaware of recent events.

"Uhhhh..." Kyoko stood breathless. "She..is...just...well...I was reaching some fruit for her that she really wanted...she'll be back any minute."

Reina gave him a suspicious look, but half-heartedly believed him. Giving a sigh of relief, he came and met the maidens that had supplied them with the fruit.

"And this is Kyoko," Fiera chimed. "He is another friend of ours."

Kyoko took the three maiden's hand and lightly kissed each of them, as did Musuyo. They smiled and handed him an apple from their baskets, all the while stating their names.

"I am maiden Akane."

"I am maiden Manami."

"And I am maiden Saika."

They bowed their heads, and lifted the baskets atop their heads. Standing up they motioned them back to the huts. Reina looked behind her and saw the sun setting slowly into the horizon. Slowly striding over the small hill, they opened their hut and all crumbled onto the cots.

"Let's call it a day."

Fiera stared at the door. "What about Yakunan? She's not back yet..."

Kyoko glanced at the floor with a worried look. "She said don't wait up. She'll be here, really."

Fiera grimaced. "Whatever you say." She crawled under the covers and fell asleep almost immediately. Soon everyone else did the same, except for Reina, who hugged her knees and sat atop the bedspread, a blank expression on her face that was directed to Kyoko, unaware of her watching him sleep.

As night crept deeper, Yakunan was waiting longer. Soon, a pair of yellow eyes shon from between two trees, and out stepped Shukun.

"How far have you gotten? I've been waiting too long, and one of them has to go."

Yakunan shifted nervously. "Well, I haven't gotten much from Kyoko. He seems displeased with me...and it looks as though someone knows about our plan..."

"What!? You can't be suggesting they know about the set-up?"

Yakunan nodded her head slowly in dismay. Shukun answered with a low growling. But she suddenly stopped, and chuckled loudly.

"What is so amusing, Shukun?"

"Ah you shall see soon," she said, giving a wry smile. "Go on to the hut and play along."

Yakunan gave a short nod and hurried to the huts, Shukun watching her disappear over the hill.

Reina, who had fell into a restless sleep earlier on, woke with a start as she heard a loud grumbling, and shaking of the earth, that woke the others soon after. They saw Yakunan bolt upright on her bed almost instantly, and Musuyo gave a silent sigh of relief. Tearing off the covers, Kyoko grabbed Reina's hand and dragged her out the door. They saw light on the outskirts of the village, and ran down the road until they reached the open feilds. There they stood in shock as a monster roared above them. Taking a hold of her staff, Reina charged towards the towering beast.

"Wait, don't go alone!"

But Reina didn't bother to stop. Almost at the demon's feet, it looked so much bigger than it did from afar. The others eventually caught up, weapons in hand, all except Yakunan, who cowerd at the side as to not get injured. Kyoko slashed at the demon's skin, but left hardly a scratch. Reina continuously threw spells at it, but it only made the monster roar in anger. It swung at Reina with such a force, it knocked her to the ground, giving her bruises and a cut across her cheek. After sad attempts from Kyoko and Fiera, Musuyo stepped in and, with only a few blows to the head, it fell in agony, desinigrating into the ground. Panting, Kyoko crawled to Reina's limp body lying in the middle of the grass.

"Reina, are you okay?"

She mumbled a few words that he couldn't make out, but was happy she was awake.

"My cheek burns," she grumbled, after moments of silence. "And I'm sore..."

Kyoko sighed. "I know. I'll take care of it."

He propped her up on his knee, and inspected the small gash on her left cheek. Tearing off a piece of his hyori, he dabbed the trickling blood.

"Thanks," she said, grabbing his hand. "For that I mean."

Kyoko gave a small laugh. "Anytime."

Reina looked over his shoulder, seeing that the others were sitting in a circle, not paying attention. At this, she looked back at Kyoko and pulled him down towards her. After a moment of silence, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, breathing in her sweet smell that wafted from her hair. After parting, Reina smiled and motioned Kyoko to help her up. The others watched them striding briskly away, and quickly, after realizing they were leaving, ran to catch up.

"But what about Laine? They don't know we're leaving! They'll be so disappointed!" Yakunan rasped, exasperated. "Let's turn back to at least say goodbye!"

Reina glanced back behind her shoulder. "He'll know we were busy. Besides, I told him we weren't staying long...not long at all..."

Yakunan gave an annoyed sigh, and dragged herself to follow them ever so reluctantly. Given the time of day, they were all quite sluggish in their movement, and yawning every so often. They eventually saw the sun rise slowly from the sky and above the horizon.

"We should camp this one out tonight. Villages become so boring." Kyoko thought aloud.

Reina and Fiera nodded simultaneously. "Sounds fun."

Musuyo and Yakunan just rolled their eyes, shaking their heads in disappointment. After that, they walked in silence, Reina and Kyoko hand in hand...


	9. Divide&Devour

The time had passed sooner than expected, and after hours of walking, they found themselves in a deserted town, built up of about 5-7 shops and almost no huts. It seemed abandoned, except for the fact that there were lone shop keepers and a couple of peasants running around.

"I'm hungry again..." Yakunan whined.

Kyoko scowled, but then realized his own stomach was growling loudly. Feeling a sense of emptiness (which was coming from, yes, his stomach), he grabbed Reina's arm and proceeded to the nearest shop, who luckily had food conveniently in its window.

"Ramen and extra large melon bread...please..."

Reina shook her head, but chuckled despite such sillyness. Holding the paper bag firmly in his fist, Kyoko tugged Reina back to the rest of the group and made their way out of the village, for they thought there was no point in staying in such a small and inconvenient little town. Musuyo, who was walking behind the rest, was contemplating the fact that Reina and Kyoko fell in perfect step with each other, unknowingly and with no effort. Intrigued by this thought, Musuyo kept staring at their feet (and to get to the point, obviously not his own). Stupidly, as he watched so demeaningly, tripped over a small stone and collapsed atop of Yakunan, and like dominoes, knocked the rest of them over, so that Musuyo was on Yakunan, who was on Feira who was on Kyoko, and lastly, who was on Reina.

"What the hell?"

"Ow, you're on my leg!"

"Get off me!"

"Help me up..."

Such raucous started soon afterward, and ended quiet unpleasantly. Yakunan had slapped her brother in disdain, which made Musuyo grouchy and non-cooperative. Fiera, who was now not in the mood to walk for Yakunan had elbowed her on the back, was unsucessfully trying to suppress loud grumbles of anger. The only people who seemed the least troubled was (of course...) Reina and Kyoko ( a.n. duhr, he fell on her, so what's to be mad at...). Although, Kyoko seemed somewhat displeased when he found out that the melon bread had been squashed.

"Well that was a waste of my earnings..."

"And I was wanting some of that!" Reina chimed.

But all seemed well after a breeze had picked up and cooled them all off from the sun and the heated arguments. All that remained was the grumbling stomachs of the hungry travellers. And to their dismay, they were no where close to another village.

"Where the HELL are we gonna get food from? We must be MILES away from any market and/or food place. Tell me...WHERE IS FOOD!"

Yakunan was complaining all to the insanity of everyone else. Groans came from the rest of them, and Yakunan maintained her childish ways.

"Do you hear my stomach? It's extremey loud, you could hear it from miles away!"

"Well you could never hear it over your voice that's blasting in our ears. They'd hear your complaining before they would hear your stomach." Fiera mumbled angrily.

Yakunan opened her mouth to speak, but was at a loss for words, which made her shut it just as quickly. Her only response was a low muffled growl.

The sun was setting fast, and they hadn't found a place to set up camp. Reina, starting to get worried, ran ahead of everyone else at amazing speed, trying to find a cave or sheltered area to sleep. Fiera had no care in the world, since she had adapted to sleeping in almost any condition; in trees, on rocky ground, unsheltered area, in the rain...just about anything. She was starting to get frustrated with them, picky as they were.

_Why must we always wait til we find shelter? It's not like it's going to rain. You're all just wussies..._

These thoughts grew very strong when the sun was almost down behind the horizon and they still hadn't stopped searching.

"Hey why don't we just sleep on the ground? It's very soft, and it's not like it'll rain at any moment." Fiera smiled, trying to look persuasive.

To her surprise, Kyoko agreed with her. "Yeah we could do that."

Yakunan, however, was not please, and Musuyo knew that she'd have a complaint, being the little princess she was.

"I disagree strongly. Why don't we walk for a while more. We'll get soaked and it'll be hard to sleep..."

The others stared at her in annoyance. Yakunan stared back.

"No, we'll sleep here. Water is water. It'll dry. Besides. We're all tired." Musuyo stretched and lay himself along the ground, curling up into a tight ball. Reina pulled Kyoko to the ground and they huddled together, close to Musuyo. Feira smirked and rested herself on her back, easily falling asleep under the darkening sky. Yakunan was still stubborn and reluctant. No one looked up to sympathize for her. She grew angry, but curled up beside Kyoko, a scheme slowly stirring inside her head.


End file.
